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LUMEN | FEATURE
Breaking Tradition by
Natalie Ng and Ida Lassesen
The inclusion of female students to SJI – a male-dominated institution of more than one and a half centuries – is refreshing . While the boys needed to adjust to the change , the girls quickly found a sense of belonging to the school community .
As the first girl to step into St . Joseph ' s Institution on the 1st of February 2013 , Nadiah Afiqah felt anxious . The boys of SJI , unaccustomed to seeing girls in school , were giving her more attention than she was used to . " It was quite a daunting experience ," she remembered .
For the first time in the history of SJI , female students are a common sight within the compound , carrying out common school activities such as studying , eating and playing games .
Ever since its humble beginnings in 1852 , SJI had only accepted male students . Though there was a period from 1950s to 1964 when Pre- University students from Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus ( CHIJ ) went over to SJI at Bras Basah for Science lessons . These girls , however , were registered as students of their alma mater . But this year , ending 160 years of tradition , SJI welcomed its first and own batch of female students , with the introduction of the International Baccalaureate ( IB ) Diploma Programme .
Many of the newly minted female Josephians shared their experience as the majority of the 40 girls had previously hailed from all-girls institutions . Jileen Yong , a CHIJ Toa Payoh alumnus , recalled , “ I was really scared . The place was filled with SJI boys and being a part of the minority made me feel like I was intruding on something important .”
The reactions from the secondary school boys to the new additions in the school community have been varied .
When asked for his views , Shaun Hue from Lawrence 102 shrugged : “ For me , it doesn ’ t make a large difference . Having girls in the school isn ’ t really all that
A benefit of having girls in SJI is that it allows us to broaden our horizons and learn how to communicate and interact with females .
Larry Low
exciting to me .” Perhaps not , for a newcomer like Shaun who has also just begun his Josephian journey – something he shares in common with his female counterparts .
Larry Low from Lawrence 303 , however , saw the change as an opportunity to develop his social skills : “ A benefit of having girls in SJI is that it allows us to broaden our horizons and learn how to communicate and interact with females .”
Nobody does a double take when they see girls in SJI nowadays , for the female students have been well assimilated into the Josephian community .
A number of boys bemoan the loss of SJI ’ s identity as an all-boys school , citing the inability to change in public as a reason , but understand the need to behave more appropriately around girls .